In Pittsburgh, One Baker Requires a Whole Year to Create the Perfect Loaf

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At left, the baker Rick Easton at Bread and Salt in Pittsburgh.CreditJohnny Fogg

By Masha Goncharova

June 23, 2015

Barely six months old, Pittsburgh’s Bread and Salt bakery is fast becoming known for its pane locale (local bread), made in a former slaughterhouse in the centuries-old Italian baking tradition of using organic flour, natural fermentation and local grain. Its owner and founder, the baker Rick Easton, acknowledges that the loaves’ “ugly, formless and dark” appearance belies their addictive flavor — which he accredits to the 100% stone-milled, high-extraction wheat flour crop he develops with a farmer in Weatherbury Farms in Avella, Pa. At the beginning of the season, Easton experiments with different wheat crops and handling techniques to find the right texture for bread he will serve that year. The result is a pane that feels like whole wheat, but the germ is retained so that the richness and natural oils produce “an incredible amount of flavor and sweetness. From a customer’s perspective, it’s great to be able to think about wheat in that way,” Easton explains. “People are used to this supermarket bread that has a two-hour process. My process is 24 hours, and then we’re talking about crop planning that went in a year ago. So last year, someone was thinking about the grain that you would eat today.” Below, Easton shares a recipe for enjoying his signature loaf — or your own favorite, local bread.